Xmas Eve Dinner Wine Pairings

tilthblog

10 years ago

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Dearest Holiday Merry Makers,

I’ve nailed down my wine pairings for our Christmas Eve dinner (4 courses, $95, includes wines) and I wanted to share them with you to get some excitement going. I chose my favorite appellation as a theme and also included two of my all time favorite wines.

The Loire Valley intrigues me because of the way that the noble varietals (sauvignon blanc, chenin blanc, gamay and cabernet franc) of the region pair with food.They are unique and classic and cover a huge range on the flavor spectrum.

I’ve chosen two chenin blancs for the evening, the first of which is the Chidaine Montlouis-sur-Loire Sec Clos du Breuil. This dry-style chenin has hints of sugar and spice that will pair elegantly with the naturally salty spot prawn soup and rabbit rillette providing an excellent contrast. The second chenin: Francois Pinon Vouvray Moelleux Premiere Trie is a 1989 and will show great complexity and have a lingering sweetness that will make for a dessert pairing to be savored.

The second course will be accompanied by a gamay, which is light and has hints of dried strawberries that will bring out the best in the tuna, salmon or gnocchi. For the main course I selected a wine that I may have already introduced to many of you. Pallus Chinon Les Pensees has been on my list before at Tilth and it is far and away one of my favorites. This cabernet franc is absolutely stunning with a deep purple color, a rustic forest note on the nose and velvety palate that shows great depth. I hope to see you all at our Christmas Eve dinner and maybe I’ll turn you on to the Loire Valley as well.